Popular Music And The Recession

“The Recession's in Every Refrain As Pop Music Reflects on Hard Times”Neil Young has just released a new concept album ‘Fork in the Road’ on the "the cratering economy". The present global financial crisis has provided material for "….all manner of musicians, from rock legends and country singers to folkies and rappers… ". In the USA one really needs to go back as far as to the Great Depression to recall a repertoire of this sort. Try to listen to the songs of Woody Guthrie, Blind Alfred Reed, Yip Harburg to get a flavour of this period.

"Although record sales weren't exactly thriving during the period, Harburg's song became a hit for both Rudy Vallee and Bing Crosby. The work resonated because it served as a musical mirror, reflecting people's experiences and sentiments " ...……. MORE

It really leaves us to ask. Are these economic cycles inevitable? Is there any escape from them? And do we need a new economic order?

Has Scientism Sidelined Our Emotions ?

" Scientism is the belief that the sciences have no boundaries"

Has scientism like religious literalism become its own ideology?

Where does scientism leave the likes of literature, psychology, music, arts, philosophy, dreams, the emotions or spirituality in its quest for supreme knowledge? It begs the question of what sort of role literature, psychology, music, arts, philosophy, dreams, emotions, or spirituality have played in human evolution? Are they being sidelined or even ignored by scientism?

"……… it’s our study of human evolution that bring fantastic insight into why we have art, dreams, and mythology in the first place. What a strange notion, that science plays no role in those fields or our understanding of them! .........." MORE

Can There Really Be A Colour And Music Relationship ?

Colour and Music

Music and colour like music and emotions have inspired speculative discussions throughout the ages. Again, the ancient Greeks took a lead in these speculative inquiries. They were driven by a need to discover an integrated cosmology that colour and music formed a part of a harmonious universe. Fast forwarded to the seventeenth century and we have Isaac Newton’s discovery ......

“ of the refraction of white light into colours …….. and his decision to denote seven colours in association with the seven notes of the musical scale” …… MORE

The Healing Powers of Music

VA Uses Music Therapy In Veterans' Recovery

The healing power of music to aid recovery is nothing new. In fact, both Plato and Aristotle wrote about it in ancient Greece. In our modern-day, music therapy is often used to treat patients with mental illness ………….

“Music therapy, the VA says, is a burgeoning field with ancient roots that helps patients cope with a variety of life's ills, from depression or post-traumatic stress to substance abuse and cognitive disorders, among others ………." MORE  

Is There A Language Of Music ?

'Language of Music Really Is Universal, Study Finds'

Do you believe that there is a language of music? Well, a recent report thinks there may be one. A report which was published online on 19th March in ‘Current Biology’ states that ..........

“Native African people who have never even listened to the radio before can nonetheless pick up on happy, sad, and fearful emotions in Western music” …… MORE